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The NFC South is officially up for grabs this fall as the Carolina Panthers will clash with the Atlanta Falcons in the heart of Georgia! Let's check out our NFL odds series, where our Panthers-Falcons prediction and pick will be revealed.
After being irrelevant the past few seasons, it has become quite obvious that the Carolina Panthers have been desperately searching for another franchise quarterback ever since Cam Newton's tenure came to an end in 2019 outside of a brief reunion with the team in 2021. In the blink of an eye, the Panthers went and got their guy by trading for the first overall pick in the draft from the league-worst Chicago Bears and drafting Alabama QB Bryce Young. With a new era about to kick off in Carolina, will the Panthers take care of business against a division rival and start on the right track to improve upon their 7-10 record?
Another young quarterback will be taking the reins for the first time in his career in second-year man Desmond Ridder. After enduring a steady college career at Cincinnati including a CFP appearance, the Falcons' struggles in 2022 forced them to turn to Ridder late in the season. Not to mention, but the hype appears to be real surrounding rookie running back Bijan Robinson. After finishing with the same record as Carolina in 2022, can the Falcons do enough to catapult themselves up the NFC South Standings this fall?
Here are the Panthers-Falcons NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Panthers-Falcons Odds
Carolina Panthers: +3.5 (-110)
Atlanta Falcons: -3.5 (-110)
Over: 39.5 (-115)
Under: 39.5 (-105)
How to Watch Panthers vs. Falcons Week 1
TV: Fox
Stream: fuboTV, NFL+
Time: 1:00 ET/10:00 PT
*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Panthers Could Cover The Spread
First things first, turning the football over will need to be at a minimum, but it is highly likely that Carolina will be relying on heavy-run gameplay in Bryce Young's first-ever NFL start. Remember, this is an offense that struggled mightily at times as averaging only 20.1 PPG. Combine this with the fact that the Panthers enter the 2023 season with a brand-new receiving room that may take a couple of games to get on the same page with Young. With that being said, be on the lookout for running backs Chuba Hubbard and off-season addition Myles Sanders to get a good bulk of the action come Sunday.
The good news is that Carolina's defense from a year ago was ferocious and not afraid to punch you in the mouth. Led by one of the best pass rushers in the league the past several seasons in Brian Burns, this is a defensive unit that can get after the quarterback with ease and cover receivers like a blanket on a winter's day. Trust me, this defense will be the sole reason that Carolina covers the spread.
Why The Falcons Could Cover The Spread
Meanwhile, the Falcons' game plan to come out victorious and possibly cover the spread at the same time could be a very similar formula. While they also won't be expected to throw as much to keep the Panthers' pass rush off of Riddler and to feed their electric running back in Robinson, Atlanta also hopes that their running game can take this offense to the next level.
Without a doubt, this offense had its ups and downs, but it did show promise. Keep in mind, this is still an extremely young roster with the likes of TE Kyle Pitts and WR Drake London on the offensive side of the ball that have the ability to pop off in 2023. With their run-heavy approach in Week 1, watch out for a play-action pass attack that utilizes both of these weapons in a big way en route to a spread-covering opening game triumph.
Most importantly, let's not sugarcoat it: this defense has looked absolutely awful in recent years. Ranked near the bottom of the NFL in yards allowed, Atlanta is hoping that they can get continued stellar production out of DT Grady Jarrett and cover corner A.J. Terrell, but this side of the ball is an experience, to say the least. If they fail to get pressure on Bryce Young and fail to win the battle of the trenches up front defensively, then they could be in for a long and strenuous day.
Final Panthers-Falcons Prediction & Pick
There's nothing quite like a divisional matchup between two rivals on Week 1 of the NFL scheduled slate! Arguably, each side is coming off nearly identical seasons and have similar strengths and weaknesses, but the Falcons roster has more weapons on offense which should be the deciding factor in this one. By the time the clock hits triple-zero, it will be Atlanta who has the last laugh.
Final Panthers-Falcons Prediction & Pick: Falcons -3.5 (-110)
